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Evaluation of unintentional injuries sustained by children: A hospital based study from Ankara-Turkey
Piyal Birgul1, Mine Esin Ocaktan2, Recep Akdur3
1Piyal Birgul, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Public Health, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Insights
Childhood injuries, particularly falls, are common in school-aged boys and girls, frequently affecting extremities. Understanding injury patterns is key to prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric emergency medicine
- Public health
- Injury epidemiology
Background:
- Unintentional injuries are a major global cause of death, hospitalization, and disability.
- Child injury research in low- and middle-income countries is emerging, highlighting prevention priorities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the characteristics of injuries sustained by children presenting to an emergency department.
- To draw attention to the public health issue of childhood injuries.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive study was conducted at a Training and Research Hospital's trauma section in Ankara.
- Data were collected from October to November 2010.
- Children under 18 with parental consent and child assent were included.
Main Results:
- The study group comprised 75.3% boys, with 35.31% aged 11-15 years.
- Falls were the most frequent cause of injury across all demographics.
- Extremities were the most commonly injured organs (63.6%), with fractures being the most frequent damage (29.5%).
- Nearly half of injuries (44.0%) occurred in or around school settings.
Conclusions:
- Systematic surveillance is crucial for identifying national-level epidemiologic characteristics of childhood injuries.
- Defining risk and protective factors is a priority for injury prevention efforts in all countries.
Objectives:
Unintentional injuries are one of the leading causes of death, hospitalization and disability across the world. Detailed work on child injury in low-income and middle-income countries began more recently and is now indicating priorities for prevention. This study aims to draw attention to the subject with the assessment of the injuries sustained by the study group.
Methodology:
Data of the descriptive study was collected at the Emergency Department's trauma section of a Training and Research Hospital, located in Ankara during the period of October-November 2010. Children visiting the hospital due to an injury under the age of 18 were included to the study group by assent of the child and consent of the parents.
Results:
Of the study group 75.3% were boys, 35.31% were 11-15 year of age. The most frequent cause of the injuries were falls among boys (48.3%), girls (50.0%) and, 11-15 years of age (32.8%). Most injured organs (63.6%) were extremities and most frequent damage caused by the injury was fracture (29.5%). Almost half of the injuries (44.0%) occurred in and around the school.
Conclusion:
Development and implementation of systematic surveillance is necessary to identify the epidemiologic characteristics of childhood injuries at national level. Definition of the risk factors and protective factors is a priority of countries to prevent such injuries.
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